Risk factors will now determine how often women are screened for cervical cancer

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists no longer recommends a yearly Pap test for sexually active teenagers and healthy women over the age of 30.

Instead of an annual Pap test, cervical cancer screening will be done on the basis of age, previous test results, and other risk factors. While the old recommendations called for a woman to start getting Pap tests at age 18 or when she started having sexual intercourse, and to continue getting them annually thereafter, guidelines released in 2003 recommend that women start at age 21 or within 3 years after starting intercourse. Yearly screening is recommended up to age 30, and thereafter screening frequency is based on the woman's risk factors. Annual visits to the gynecologist are still recommended because those visits do much more than simply check for cervical cancer. They also check for STDs, unintended pregnancies, and breast and ovarian cancer.